The Paopu Girl
by Ejes
Summary: There was a new girl on the Island. Where was she from? How did she end up here? They didn't know, but one thing was for sure: she'd become their best friend.


_**I am, once again, very late in my publishing schedule. Uni is to blame for that. But hey, another fic involving Kairi! Is it Kaivember? might as well be~ Today, we will be exploring the time she met Sora and Riku for the first time! Have fun!**_

* * *

They said she was the mayor's daughter, but Riku knew this wasn't true. That's what all the adults told the kids, but he knew there was a truth they just wouldn't let children know. All he could do was hear bits of the truth here and there, and figure the whole story by himself. From what he gathered, she had been found unconscious one morning on the beach. Was it from a shipwreck? No ship was found, no one else, alive or not ; just this little girl, maybe a year younger than Riku, sleeping on the sand. But this was the only logical way she'd get here.

Adults feared her, even though they wouldn't admit it. She was a girl from nowhere and it put them uneasy. It was a small Island, and everyone knew each other - there was no such thing as "foreigners". Only the mayor, whose heart was bigger than the Island itself, welcomed the little girl to her house with a warm smile and no questions. And as they mimicked their parents, kids stayed away from her, and she was alone since she arrived a week ago.

Riku wasn't scared of her, but he never met her either and therefore didn't give much thoughts about her.

The first time he met her, he was confused. She was sitting on the beach, facing the sea, a paopu fruit in her hand. It was the first time he met a kid he didn't knew, and didn't know how to react. She had not seen him, and he could have left her. But instead, he felt drawn to her. He couldn't tell what, but, even from afar, even though they never met, she reminded him of Sora. She had that same glowing aura.

"Hello?"

She was startled by his voice, as he could see. She turned his head to him, and she looked really surprised. Shocked. "...Me?"

"I'm Riku. What's your name?"

It still looked like she couldn't believe he was talking to her. "Kai- Kairi." She stuttered, blushing. He smiled, sitting next to her.

"Do you want to come with us tomorrow? We're exploring the Island over there. I have to ask Sora first, but I'm sure he won't mind if you play with us."

Her eyes started filling up with tears, and Riku frowned. Did he say something wrong? But then she nodded, giving him a smile brighter than the sun. She really was like Sora.

"I'd love to! Nobody wanted to play with me…" She looked both happy and sad. He shrugged.

"Ignore the others. They are stupid. Sora and I will be your best friends, I promise!"

"Friends?"

"And then everyone will be so jealous they will want you as their friend, but we called dibs!" He jumped on his feet, stretching out his hand to her. She carefully took it, and he shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Kairi! Let's meet here tomorrow at 2. Don't be late!"

And just like that, he left her, knowing _he_ was late already.

* * *

Sora was waiting by the boat, grinning when he saw Riku.

"Riku, you're late! I was worried!"

"I told you he'd be there soon, Sora. He was afraid you would have gone without him."

Riku chuckled, greeting Sora's father. The man pointed at the boat.

"Now that everyone's here, all aboard! Let's get this galion afloat!"

The kids laughed, jumping in the tiny boat, Sora picking up a pirate hat on the floor and a wooden sword. "Let's hit the waves, mates! Time ta defeat that kraken for good!"

"Aye, Captain!" His father chuckled, starting rowing the boat once the two kids were inside. Their playground island really wasn't far, but Sora's dad always took his time, to let the kid pretend they were crossing the Seven Seas, fighting mythical monsters and gathering piles of gold. They were in the middle of their favourite pirate song when their journey ended.

"I'll pick you up right before sunset," Sora's father said. "You remember the rules : no swimming where you can't touch the bottom of the sea _while still being able to breathe_ , no going on the other side of the Island where we can't see you, and there's the whistle in the shack if there's any problem. Be good, kids, and have fun!"

"Dad, we're not babies, we know that already!" Sora pouted, leaving his hat inside the boat. His father laughed, fondling his hair.

"Of course you do, son. But it never hurts to remember that! We wouldn't want the world's greatest pirates to be taken by the sea, now, would we?"

He left after Riku and Sora promised to take care of themselves and to not do anything reckless. Once he was gone, Sora grinned at Riku once again.

"Now we still haven't defeated that Kraken!"

For hours, they kept on playing pirates, fighting invisible monsters with their wooden swords, resisting the melody of mermaids, discovering some new treasures. Tired, they sat in the shack for a moment, sharing the snacks Riku's mum gave them.

"Are you afraid of monsters, Riku? Real ones, I mean." Sora almost sounded serious, and Riku frowned, looking at him.

"There are no real monster, Sora."

"But in our Secret Cave… There is one. I'll show you!"

He got up, and Riku followed.

"You say it's a monster, but it's probably a huge bug, isn't it?" Riku teased.

"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"You're sure you didn't just _hear_ it this time?"

"What difference does it make? There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"

They walked all the way to the cave right next to the waterfalls. They never went in there before - they always stayed where the adults could see them.

"Alright. Suppose there really is a monster… Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?"

"No problem. Let's do it!"

Riku knew this was probably nothing. Sora might just still be playing.

"Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"

"Sh, quiet" Riku leaned forward trying to hear something. Truth be told, he couldn't hear much thanks to the waterfalls, but he was willing to play along. "We've gotta be careful," he whispered as if this was a secret mission. Sora nodded gravely, and they carefully, quietly infiltrated the Cave to hunt the monster down.

The Cave was empty, and Sora looked disappointed. Riku understood that this had not been a game for him. There was a sound, somehow threatening, like a growling, that Riku could now hear - but he also had a rational explanation to that.

"See that? It was just the wind making that noise."

"Aw, man, I wish it was a monster! Hold on! What's that over there?"

Sora turned to a massive panel of wood at the end of the cave. Riku went to inspect it. "A window, or maybe a door? It won't open." There was no handle, no lock. Nothing. Yet, it felt like something was calling him behind this door, and it scared him. A voice, telling him to open the door. Seeing that Sora didn't react, he assumed it was just in his head and pretended to lose his interest, and so did Sora.

"Geez, is that really all that's in here?"

Riku shrugged. "What do you expect in a boring place like this?" Truth was, he wanted to get away from that door - because he really wanted to get closer. He wanted Sora away from the door. "Hey, Sora?"

"Mh?" His best friend looked at him.

"When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kids stuff!'

They could be real pirates. Adventurers. They could be anything, and this island offered them _nothing_. If they stayed, they would be fishemen. Working in banks. Selling groceries. This wasn't the life Riku was dreaming of. This world was just too small - were these his words, or ones whispered from behind the door?

"Sure. But isn't there something fun to do now?"

Riku always thought of the future, Sora lived in the present. He didn't care about what they would do in a year, a decade. What mattered was always what they would do right now. Riku suddenly remembered the promise he made as they exited the cave.

"Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor's house? Did you hear? She's been there for a week now."

"Ah, I heard about her!" Sora gasped. "Tidus said she was a witch with fingers like snakes and spiders in her hair!"

"I met her earlier today. Her name is Kairi. She is nice. And her hair is normal. It's red."

"Ha! I knew Tidus lied!"

"I told her she could come exploring with us tomorrow. But that I had to tell you about it first. Do you mind?"

Sora stared at his feet. "She… She really doesn't have snakes fingers, does she?"

"Oh, of course she does, and if you get to close, she'll bite you!"

Sora gasped before realising Riku was making fun of him, and then wholeheartedly laughed. "Okay then! Let's all play together!"

* * *

The next day, Sora welcomed Kairi with a smile, as if they had known each other forever. She was shy at first, but he was so friendly that she quickly started to laugh and play with them. Riku was glad. And soon, she wouldn't be seen anywhere without them. Sora did everything with her. He showed her around the town. He presented her to the other kids, so that they wouldn't be scared anymore. He showed her the shack. She was invited to have cakes, for sleepovers. She was all Sora talked about.

* * *

There was a day when Riku got sick and feverish and had to stay home. Sora didn't visit that day, or the next day, and Riku was really bored. His mother played cards with him and let him watch television later than usual, noticing how frustrated her son was. The weather was really nice and he really wanted to play outside. His wooden sword waited on the chair, but there was no point without an opponent.

His mother gave him a bright smile on the next day, however, saying she had a surprise for him in the kitchen. He followed her, curious, and found Sora waiting for him, already eating the biscuits on the table.

"Riku! You're okay!"

Riku's mother joined Sora's in the living room, leaving the two kids alone.

"I am, thanks for your _late_ concerns." If Sora understood the sarcasm, he didn't show it, stuffing even more cookies in his mouth. "What did you do while I was sick?"

Usually, when they couldn't play for more than a day, they would both feel really miserable. They had been friends since they were born, and did everything together. Yet, Sora's face lit up, his eyes glowing.

"I showed Kairi the Island! We didn't go to the cave, because it is _so_ boring, but I showed her the shack, and she was a Princess that a terrible dragon kidnapped and I was a knight and I saved her, and they we went into the water, and did you know she never swam before, and then we chased some butterflies, and then dad took us back! And on the next day, she invited me over, have you seen the mayor's house before? It's huge, and it's bigger on the inside! We did some drawings, and the mayor made a chocolate cake and you would have loved it, and then the dragon I had defeated came back so I had to protect her, and I did! I'm sure that dragon won't come back now!"

The biscuits tasted bland. The fruit juice was tasteless. Riku tried to believe it was because of the cold. "I see. I'm glad you two get along so well."

"We do! Kairi is suuuuuper nice! Thank you for inviting her, Riku, you were right, she isn't a monster! Oh, we are going to the playground tomorrow, do you want to come? We'll ask Tidus and Selphie too!"

That's how it was now. Riku was invited to play with Sora and Kairi. They were doing their things, and he was a guest, whose presence was not mandatory.

"I don't know if I will be there." He coldly said. At least Sora had the decency of looking sad. "I might still be a bit sick. Best not to play outside."

Usually, Sora would have come up with other ideas, like coming over to play inside. But this time, he nodded. "I see. It will be less fun without you, so please get better soon so you can play with us again!"

"Sora, sweetie, it's time to go. Leave Riku rest, okay? Take care of you, Riku. You're always welcome to come play at home, anytime." Sora's mother looked at her son with a smile. "I'm sure Sora won't mind even if you're sick."

"Idiots are never sick." Riku sighed while watching his best friend, who grinned at him. His mother chuckled, ruffling her son's hair. "Let's hope he's an idiot then."

"Who's an idiot, Mummy?"

"No one. Now go. Chop chop chop!" Sora's mother gave them a final smile and left, holding her son's hand.

"How nice of him to visit, right, Riku? You should be able to play with him tomorrow, I'm sure. Be sure to wear a scarf, though!"

"Yes, Mum. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm still a bit tired, so I think I'm going to bed. Thanks for the biscuits. Good night."

"Everything alright, Riku? Did you and Sora fight?"

Did they? Of course they didn't. He might have liked that better. He shook his head, trying to smile. "It's fine. I'm just tired." And without any further detail, he went back to his room, burying himself under the covers.

* * *

He eventually came to play with them on the next day. They welcomed him warmly, and they had a lot of fun playing ball, but Riku couldn't not notice how Kairi and Sora sometimes whispered to each other, giggling, exchanging secrets he wasn't allowed to share.

So when the game was over, and everyone started heading home, Riku asked for Sora to wait for him, and ran after Kairi.

"Hey, Kairi!"

"Yes?" Her smiles were as warm as Sora's, her big blue eyes as naive. Riku smiled back.

"Do you want to play with us tomorrow afternoon?"

"Of course!" Her eyes were sparkling, excited.

"Meet us by our boat after lunch! Don't worry if we're a little late, though!" She nodded, her cheeks bright red as Riku returned next to Sora.

"What did you tell her?" the boy asked, tilting his head as he always did when curious.

"I invited her to come over to play tomorrow. You're in, I guess?"

"I always am! What are we going to do? Where are we going?"

"Oh, nowhere special, let's just play board games at my house! Come for lunch!"

"Sure! It's going to be fun, the three of us playing!"

Riku felt a tinge of guilt seeing how excited Sora was, but he ignored the feeling.

* * *

When the day came, Riku pretended Kairi couldn't join them for lunch and might be a little late. Sora didn't worry about it at first. It was only in the middle of the afternoon that he started wondering where Kairi was - then again Riku lied, saying that maybe she didn't want to come after all, that maybe she had some plans with Selphie and that it was great to see her bonding with other girls. And when night came, Riku asked Sora to pretend they ended up cancelling, because he didn't want her to be jealous of all the fun they had. And of course, Sora agreed. Sora believed in Riku. And Riku felt bad for manipulating his friend.

In fact, Riku managed to do this a few times. He couldn't do it several times in a row so that no one would be suspicious, but he'd change the meeting location on the last minute, never warning Kairi ; he'd invite Sora for "boys only" adventures where they could be pirates, because no lady was allowed on board. Week after week, month after month, Riku managed to get his best friend back, only playing occasionally with Kairi. Yet, he had to admit he wasn't enjoying his days alone with Sora as much as he used to.

There was a day, however, when his mother brought him an envelope. "Your friend left that for you," she said with a giggle. The handwriting was messy, and yet not messy enough to be Sora's. He opened the letter.

"Dear Riku,

I want to talk to you. Please come where we met at 4.

Kairi."

He frowned. Was Sora invited as well? He couldn't see why she would invite him alone. He wasn't really sure he wanted to go, quite frankly, but he was also very sure that Kairi told his mother about the invitation, and he couldn't decline. Also, not going meant leaving Sora alone with her, and having to hear them endlessly talk about how much fun they had without him - he definitely had to go.

* * *

He went early, and yet, she was already there, sitting on the beach, drawing on the sand. Exactly like when they first met. Sora wasn't there yet. He considered staying behind, waiting for Sora, but she turned her head and saw him. She smiled, and this wasn't the usual grin she'd welcome him with. She looked a bit sad. He suddenly understood.

"Sora isn't coming, is he?"

She shook her head. "I only invited you, Riku. Sora doesn't know, and I don't want him to."

Riku came to sit next to her. She sighed.

"You don't like me."

What could he answer to that? There was no good answer. But she was waiting for one.

"I don't hate you."

"But you don't like me."

"I… It's not like that."

She looked at him with pain. "Do you want me to leave, Riku?"

"What?"

"Tell me that's what you want, and I won't talk to you or Sora ever again. I can even pretend to get mad at Sora so that he won't go after me. He was your friend first. I don't want you to be angry at me. And I don't want to steal him from you."

Riku gasped. She looked really serious. She didn't even sound angry, just really sad. Resigned. As if this was the only way. She was ready to self-sacrifice for Riku's sake.

She was just so much like Sora.

And it took him so long to realise.

"Kairi." He took her hand. He had been seeing this wrong the whole time. He just had to treat her the way he treated Sora. "I don't want you to leave. I want you to be my best friend." She blushed hard, and he tried to smile. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you. I have no excuse, and you can hate me. It's okay. But if you accept to forgive me, I will do my best to be a really good friend."

She took his free hand in hers and smiled. "But, Riku, you already are my best friend! You're not angry at me anymore?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I've ever been angry at you. I was angry at myself. Best friends?"

She grinned. "Best friends!"

They smiled at each other and burst into laughters. Riku felt lighter. He promised himself he'd do anything to keep Kairi safe, just as he would do anything for Sora.

"Hey Riku, do you want to play with me today? Just the two of us."

"Sora will be jealous if he hears about that."

"That's payback for all the times he hid that you two played without me!" She stuck her tongue at him and he blushed, embarrassed. He had really been rude to her.

"That's it," she said, picking up a stick on the sand, "today I'm the knight and you are the one in danger!"

"What? That's not fair, I want to fight too!"

"Okay, then you are the villain! And you stole…. Hah! You stole my paopu fruit, and I will fight you to get it back!"

They battled until night fell, and Riku had the surprise to notice Kairi wasn't half bad at sparring. As they were walking home, panting and exhausted, but smiling, she whispered to his ear.

"Don't tell Sora about this, he likes to be the hero too much."

Riku promised.

* * *

On the next day, as they met Sora, Riku and Kairi exchanged a huge grin. Sora looked at them. "Did something happen? You are acting weird."

"Nothing!" They answered in unison, sharing a glance, sharing a promise.

* * *

There was a stupid legend saying that sharing a Paopu fruit with someone would connect your fates together. The first day Riku met Kairi, she had one of these fruits in her hand. But he knew that even though they didn't share it, their three fates were connected already.

For ever.

* * *

 ** _Aaah I love writing fics with kids! I always read their lines with kids' voices and it's so cute. Honestly if Lil' Sora stared right at me and told me "Kneel, human, as I'm about to destroy mankind" I'd just squeal and pinch his cheeks._**

 ** _Sora's mother is my real hero!_**

 ** _Did you like this reading? Be sure to leave a review !_**


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